China expects to greenlight six to eight new nuclear power units a year within the foreseeable future, an official at the China Nuclear Energy Association (CNEA) said, according to a report in state media outlet Xinhua on Wednesday.
Does anyone know if China makes their own nuclear fuel? Or do they buy it places? I don’t mean raw uranium, I mean fuel-ready stuff, as AFAIK only Rosatom and Westinghouse have the technology for that
In addition China is also started building thorium reactors for which they have significant reserves of fuel domestically. The other advantage of thorium is that it uses molten salt for cooling, so the reactor doesn’t need to be built next to a large body of water. They’re also safer because once the reactor shuts down, salt will turn into solid and you don’t have to worry about radioactive leaks.
It’s kind of funny how these could’ve been made decades ago, but nobody cared to because thorium can’t be used for nuclear weapons. So everybody would rather just mine uranium since it’s dual use.
Right? I recall people talking about Thorium reactors over a decade ago, and they were already an established concept back then. Seemed like future was just around the corner - then nothing. Good thing China’s doing something
Does anyone know if China makes their own nuclear fuel? Or do they buy it places? I don’t mean raw uranium, I mean fuel-ready stuff, as AFAIK only Rosatom and Westinghouse have the technology for that
They make some of their own fuel, and it’s alleged they buy reprocessed fuel from Rosatom
In addition China is also started building thorium reactors for which they have significant reserves of fuel domestically. The other advantage of thorium is that it uses molten salt for cooling, so the reactor doesn’t need to be built next to a large body of water. They’re also safer because once the reactor shuts down, salt will turn into solid and you don’t have to worry about radioactive leaks.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3224183/china-gives-green-light-nuclear-reactor-burns-thorium-fuel-could-power-country-20000-years
@Shrike502@lemmygrad.ml
Finally! Mothereffin Thorium reactors!
It’s kind of funny how these could’ve been made decades ago, but nobody cared to because thorium can’t be used for nuclear weapons. So everybody would rather just mine uranium since it’s dual use.
Right? I recall people talking about Thorium reactors over a decade ago, and they were already an established concept back then. Seemed like future was just around the corner - then nothing. Good thing China’s doing something
indeed, China just keeps winning.
Thanks!